Toy assembly with character in housing and mechanism to open housing with tether

Abstract

In an aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes a housing, an inner object (which may, in some embodiments, represent a character) inside the housing, a tether, and a motor. The tether is driven by the motor to pull at least one removable housing portion from the housing.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A toy assembly, comprising:
 a housing having a main housing portion, and a first set of at least one removable housing portion that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion; 
 a first series of eyelets mounted to the first set of at least one removable housing portion; 
 an inner object inside the housing; 
 a motor that is connected to drive at least one drum; 
 a first anchor having a first anchor slot having a first exit and a second exit; 
 a first tether having a free end which has an engagement member that is unable to pass through the first exit of the first anchor slot but can pass through the second exit of the first anchor slot, wherein the first tether passes sequentially through each of the series of eyelets between the at least one drum and the first anchor; 
 wherein, in an initial state the engagement member is positioned in the first anchor slot at the first exit of the first anchor slot, 
 wherein, for each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, a first segment of the first tether is angled relative to the eyelet and a final segment of the first tether is angled relative to the first anchor slot such that rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum pulls the free end of the first tether towards the first exit of the first anchor slot, and applies a first removal force on each eyelet in succession, wherein the first removal force is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion from the main housing portion, 
 and wherein after applying the first removal force to a final eyelet from the first series of eyelets, the first tether is angled such that rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum pulls the free end of the first tether towards and through the second exit of the first anchor slot, so as to remove the first tether from the first anchor. 
 
     
     
       2. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a main chamber in which the inner object is positioned, and a drum chamber containing the at least one drum, wherein the drum chamber is separated from the main chamber and communicates with the main chamber via a tether pass-through aperture, through which the first tether passes, and
 wherein the first anchor is on the main housing portion, and continued rotation of the motor after the first tether passes through the second exit winds the first tether on the at least one drum until the free end of the first tether leaves the main chamber through the first tether pass-through aperture. 
 
     
     
       3. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the drum chamber is separated from the main chamber by a platform on which the inner object sits. 
     
     
       4. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the housing is in the form of a box. 
     
     
       5. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the housing has a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side, wherein the fourth side is opposite the first side, and the second side connects the first and fourth sides, and the third side is opposite the second side and also connects the first and fourth sides, wherein, for each side of the first, second, third and fourth sides, the housing further includes a side corner connecting said each side with any of the first, second, third and fourth sides that are adjacent to said each side, and wherein the housing includes a top,
 wherein the fourth side is disconnected from the top along a line of disconnection having a first end and a second end, 
 wherein the second side has a second-side tear strip extending between the first end of the line of disconnection and the first side; 
 wherein the third side has a third-side tear strip extending between the second end of the line of disconnection and the first side; 
 wherein the second-side tear strip is a first removable housing portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion, 
 wherein the third-side tear strip is a first removable housing portion of a second set of at least one removable housing portion, 
 wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second series of eyelets mounted to the second set of at least one removable housing portion; 
 wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second anchor on the main housing portion, wherein the second anchor has a second anchor slot having a first exit and a second exit; 
 wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second tether having a free end which has an engagement member that is unable to pass through the first exit of the second anchor slot but can pass through the second exit of the second anchor slot, wherein the second tether passes sequentially through each of the second series of eyelets between the at least one drum and the second anchor; 
 wherein, in the initial state the engagement member of the second tether is positioned in the second anchor slot at the first exit of the second anchor slot, 
 wherein, for each eyelet in succession in the second series of eyelets, a first segment of the second tether is angled relative to the eyelet and a final segment of the second tether is angled relative to the second anchor slot such that rotation of the motor to wind the second tether on the at least one drum pulls the free end of the second tether towards the first exit of the second anchor slot, and applies a second removal force on each eyelet in succession, wherein the second removal force is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the second set of at least one removable housing portion, 
 and wherein after applying the second removal force to a final eyelet from the second series of eyelets, the second tether is angled such that rotation of the motor to wind the second tether on the at least one drum pulls the free end of the second tether towards and through the second exit of the second anchor slot, so as to remove the second tether from the second anchor. 
 
     
     
       6. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the toy assembly further comprises a first side drive structure that is positioned to drive the first side to bend away from the main chamber so as to expose the inner object once the first and second sets of at least one removable housing portion have been at least partially removed from the main housing portion. 
     
     
       7. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the first side drive structure includes at least one biasing member positioned to urge the first side to bend away from the main chamber. 
     
     
       8. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the inner object is a toy character that faces the first side. 
     
     
       9. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip is defined by a first tear line and a second tear line and wherein each of the first and second tear lines includes a plurality of cut segments that extend at least partially through a thickness of the housing, and which are separated from one another by a plurality of bridges. 
     
     
       10. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein a ratio of a length of each of the plurality of cut segments to a length of each subsequent bridge is at least 7:2. 
     
     
       11. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the at least one tear line includes at least one tear line corner, and wherein every one of the at least one tear line corner is defined in the plurality of cut segments and not in any of the bridges. 
     
     
       12. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip includes at least one line of weakness that extends between the first tear line and the second tear line and is a fold line for each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip during tearing of each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip from the main housing portion. 
     
     
       13. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the inner object is in the form of four-legged animal. 
     
     
       14. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the inner object is removable from the housing and wherein the motor is inside the inner object and is operatively connected to a movable element of the inner object so as to drive movement of the movable element of the inner object. 
     
     
       15. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the inner object is removable from the housing and wherein the motor is inside the inner object, and wherein the housing includes a housing input member thereon, and a housing electrical terminal in the housing is in electrical communication with an inner object electrical terminal that is part of the inner object, so as to communicate actuation of the housing input member to a controller in the inner object, wherein the controller is connected to the motor to control operation of the motor based on actuation of the housing input member. 
     
     
       16. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the motor drives an inner object output shaft that is inside the inner object, and wherein the drum is in the housing and outside of the inner object, wherein the housing includes a housing input shaft that is operatively connected to the drum, wherein the housing input shaft removably extends into the inner object to engage the inner object output shaft such that rotation of the motor drives rotation of the drum. 
     
     
       17. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein one of the housing electrical terminal and the inner object electrical terminal is a male terminal, and the other of the housing electrical terminal and the inner object electrical terminal is a female terminal into which the male terminal fits. 
     
     
       18. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the male terminal extends through a central passage in the housing input shaft and into the female terminal which is in the inner object. 
     
     
       19. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the female terminal is provided on a female terminal projection which passes at least partially through a central aperture in the inner object output shaft. 
     
     
       20. A toy assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each eyelet from the series of eyelets has a base and a loop structure, wherein the base is positioned on an exterior of the housing and the loop structure extends from the base through an eyelet pass-through aperture in the housing into the main chamber, wherein the base is larger than the eyelet pass-through aperture so as to prevent the base from being pulled through the eyelet pass-through aperture during applying of the first removal force on said each eyelet from the series of eyelets.